1 000s more evacuated in Malaysia floods

Kuala Lumpur - Floods worsened in north-east Malaysia on Sunday due to heavy rains, local authorities said, as evacuees in other areas began to return home amid improving weather.

The number of people who were evacuated in the state of Kelantan rose to 21 868 from more than 15 000 on Saturday, the chief minister's office said. Four fatalities were previously reported in the state.

In the nearby state of Terengganu, rains eased and some of the roads became passable as official evacuee numbers dropped.

Floods also subsided and many evacuees were able to return home in Pahang and Johor states.

The Malaysian Meteorological Department said it expected the weather to improve across the whole area over the course of Sunday.